Clayton council discusses road projects

CLAYTON -- Road improvement projects were the topic of a workshopsession held by Clayton city council prior to its regular meetingApril 21.

The biggest project on the table for the city for the 2011construction season is a project organized by the Ohio Department ofTransportation for U.S. Route 40, running west to Diamond Mill Road.

This $800,000 project was initially approved by ODOT in 2006.Clayton will pay a $100,000 share in the project.

A $163,000 project on Montgomery-Miami County Line Road will seerepairs made to the entire stretch of that road under Clayton'sjurisdiction. Putnam Road will see a $50,000 project covering "full-depth" repairs, and is the second year-in-a-row that such repairshave been made to this road. Two more projects on Putnam Road areslated to be done in the next two construction seasons.

A $43,000 project on Westbrook Road will see a joint Trotwood/Clayton venture making major repairs to what is termed "in desperateneed of repair and improvements."

If Trotwood and Clayton put up equalizing amounts to the project,Clayton city manager David Row-lands said the road will seeimprovements from Barbana Lane to Cheri Lynne Drive.

The total costs of the anticipated 2011 road projects are almost$500,000. It was noted by Rowlands that when Clayton voters approvedthe city income tax several years ago, city officials pledged that acertain portion (approximately $400,000 each year) collected fromthe tax would go toward road improvement projects.

Although not dissenting from approving of the projects proposedby city staff, council member Beverly Smith said that to her aninordinate amount of the 2011 road projects were in rural portionsof the city.

"It is just hard to justify putting this amount of money in roadswhere there is not much traffic," said Smith.

She suggested that future road project funding balance out funds"across the whole city."

Rowlands said that the past winter weather greatly aggravatedClayton's road maintenance schedules, and that a great many factorswent into determining which road projects were deemed most worthy.

In the regular portion of the meeting, council approved theClayton Fire Department using $42,236 in federal grant money topurchase 23 sets of personal protective gear from Phoenix FireEquipment.

Clayton director of public safety Richard Rose informed councilmembers that on May 1 the cost of the equipment requested by thecity will increase by seven percent.

He said that the lifespan of a set of protective clothing lastsabout five years, and his department rotates in and out five setsevery year.

"The ability to replace 23 sets at one time is tremendous," Rosesaid.

The city will have a $5,831 share in the purchase of theequipment, Rose noted.

Council also approved a 180-day moratorium on grantingapplications for Internet cafe businesses.

City manager Rowlands informed council the state is looking intoseveral legal matters pertaining to these types of businesses,including the possibility that such businesses may conduct types ofgambling enterprises. Rowlands said that the 180 hold would allowthe state to develop further guidelines on the matter.

The next meeting of city council will then be at 7:30 p.m. May 5at the Clayton Government Center, 6996 Taywood Road.